A Dundee garage where the roof fell in during the winter storm will not reopen in the city.
R G Consort 2001 Ltd is moving to Inverness as the proprietors believe its motor trade is more buoyant than in Dundee.
Jim and Angela Murray said the enforced closure of their Douglas Street business gave them the impetus to move, after the roof was brought down by heavy snow at the end of November.
“We decided that the prospects for our type of business are better in the Inverness area, where Angela is from, than in Dundee,” Jim said. “We think this is due to the recession because motorists in Dundee don’t seem to be spending so much money on the repairs and maintenance of their vehicles as they used to.
“They are either hanging on to their cars without getting them maintained or are getting mechanics to do ‘homers’ for them. They’re just not taking their cars to garages like ours in the way they used to.
“We’ve had a lot of good years in Dundee, though, and thank all our customers for their support. We had been thinking about starting afresh and then, with the garage having to close because of the roof collapse, we took stock and decided that it was now or never.
“We’re very much looking forward to opening up in Inverness. We think the market there will be more buoyant and we hope we can serve the Inverness area well.”
R G Consort 2001 Ltd intends to enter the motorcycle trade in Inverness by offering MoTs. The Murrays have found a site in Inverness and hope to open their premises in the next month.
R G Consort started in Dundee many years ago but reformed in 2001 after Jim Murray bought the business from Angus Robertson. It operated from premises in Raglan Street for a long time, but the growth of the business and the spread of parking restrictions in the Stobswell area saw it move to a bigger building in 2007.
Jim (45) has spent his entire career with the company.
The Murrays employed two mechanics and an apprentice. The two mechanics have found new jobs and the apprentice has moved to another garage. It is understood that the Douglas Street site will be demolished and redeveloped.